Griddle apparatus are frequently used in commercial settings for cooking various types of food, such as hamburgers. The griddle apparatus typically includes a main burner for heating the griddle plate and a pilot for facilitating on-demand ignition of the main burner.
In the past, it was known to have a griddle system including a gas manifold feeding both a pilot burner and one or more main griddle burners. A solenoid valve (normally closed) was provided to control flow (OPEN or CLOSED valve state) from the manifold to the pilot burner in accordance with whether an electrical power switch of the griddle apparatus was ON/OFF. A separate, main burner solenoid valve (normally closed) controlled gas flow from the manifold to the griddle burners. The OPEN/CLOSED state of the main burner solenoid was determined by both (i) a detected status of the pilot burner as determined by a pilot probe and (ii) the set point of a thermostat having a probe proximate the griddle plate. Specifically, the pilot probe acted as a normally open switch that closed when a pilot flame was detected. Closure of this pilot probe switch enabled power to be delivered to the main burner solenoid valve if called for by the thermostat. The thermostat operated as a closed switch when the temperature of the thermostat probe was below the thermostat set point. The thermostat switch opened when the temperature of the thermostat probe reached the set point of the thermostat. With both the pilot probe switch closed and the thermostat switch closed, power was delivered to the main burner solenoid to permit gas flow from the manifold to the griddle burners.
In the past, it was also known to use the combination of a non-powered pilot shutoff valve with an associated mechanical, non-powered pilot probe sensor to control the open/closed state of the pilot shutoff valve for the purpose of controlling gas flow to both the pilot burner and a non-powered, modulating type thermostat gas valve feeding the burner arrangement of a range oven chamber.
It would be desirable to provide a griddle gas flow control that does not require powered components.